Turkey must lift ban on pro-Kurdish daily

March 26, 2012 2:44 PM ET

New York, March 26, 2012--The Committee to Protect
Journalists is outraged by the one-month suspension of pro-Kurdish daily Özgür
Gündem, and calls on the Turkish government to allow the newspaper to function.

"We are appalled by the police raid and court suspension of Özgür Gündem and call on Turkish
authorities to return confiscated copies and allow the daily to resume its work
immediately," said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina
Ognianova. "The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claims
commitment to reform yet continues to use trumped-up charges to silence press
outlets that cover sensitive issues. To
be meaningful, pledges must be consistent with actions."

On Saturday, an Istanbul court ordered Özgür Gündem's closure
after local police raided its office on Friday and confiscated copies of the
next edition. The court found the paper to be spreading
"terrorist propaganda." In December, Istanbul police raided the daily's
headquarters and arrested
nine of its journalists for alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
All nine remain imprisoned.

Turkey convicts Wall Street Journal reporter of terrorism

October 10, 2017 4:01 PM ET

New York, October 10, 2017--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the conviction today of Wall Street Journal reporter Ayla Albayrak, and called on Turkish authorities to stop their relentless crackdown on the press. As the Journal reported, a court in the southeastern city of Cizre convicted Albayrak in absentia...

Syrian-American journalist killed in Turkey

September 22, 2017 1:51 PM ET

New York, September 22, 2017--Syrian-American journalist Halla Barakat and her mother, Syrian opposition activist Orouba Barakat, were found dead yesterday in their Istanbul apartment, the Turkish news agency DHA reported today. Friends alerted the police when Halla Barakat, 23, did not show up for her reporting job at the...

Photojournalist charged with terrorism in Turkey

September 15, 2017 3:39 PM ET

New York, September 15, 2017--The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Turkish authorities to immediately release photojournalist Çağdaş Erdoğan, and drop the anti-state charges against him. An Istanbul court on September 13 formally charged Erdoğan with terrorism, according to the volunteer journalist collective 140journos....

Spain should release journalist arrested on Turkish warrant

August 9, 2017 3:28 PM ET

New York, August 9, 2017--Spanish authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Hamza Yalçın, a writer for the monthly, leftist, Turkish magazine Odak Dergisi, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police arrested Yalçın, a citizen of Turkey and Sweden, at Barcelona's El Prat airport on August 3 and now...